Hybrids
by Yizuki
Summary: What if werewolves were real? What if they were nothing more than animals? And what if they were in danger of becoming extinct? This is about a solution to the endangerment of werewolves. And the tale of two brothers.
1. Chapter 1

HYBRIDS

PATIENT # 6945

NAME: ATEM MUTO

GENDER: MALE

AGE: 18 MONTHS

SPECIES: WEREWOLF

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Atem laughed and ran from his little brother Yugi. He was chasing him and growling playfully. Yugi was trying to get him for pouring water on his head. Atem just laughed and continued to run. A young man in a white coat came into the room the two were in. They stopped chasing each other. After looking at each other they walked placidly up to the man and held out their arms. The man was taken aback by this action but quickly gained control of himself. These werewolves seemed used to the scientist's presence and made nothing of them. They merely assumed that whenever one came in they were due for their shots. He should have expected this. These werewolf cubs had been raised in the facility and therefore thought that everyone dressed like this. The man took their hands and gently led them out of the nursing den they had been raised in. The two got nervous as they approached the door. However when they were on the other side they seemed quite curious. The clean white corridors and labs seemed to intrigue them. Atem pushed his brother playfully toward one of the doors. Yugi yelped in surprise then laughed and pushed his brother back. The man smiled ruefully. They came to a break in the corridor. Other scientists came and took one each, placing gentle but firm hands on their shoulders. Atem and Yugi got a bad feeling. They backed off from the scientists. Sensing this they used it to direct them down the different hallways. The young man knelt down beside them both.

"It will be all right. You'll see each other again. You're going on a little trip." They didn't seem to like being separated but no longer made it difficult for the scientists to lead them down the hallways. Yugi was taken to the werewolf observation center where they might be able to learn more about their behavior. Atem however was taken to the genetics department. They were trying to combine werewolves with vampires. Atem didn't understand what the restraints were for but when he saw the shot he held out his arm like he had been taught to do. The vampire blood turned his veins cold. He was very confused by how sleepy he felt. Everything was fuzzy. The scientists sighed as he fell unconscious. He was reacting to the new DNA well, maybe he could be the answer. They clipped a red tag to his ear that had an ID number on it. It read: 6945. This would allow them to recognize him and keep track of his movements. Then they picked him up and put him into an isolation den. He wasn't used to his new surroundings and it would be better to have the other werewolves inspect him before he joined a pack den.

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It didn't take long for Atem to wake up. Whether it was the vampire DNA speeding his recovery or just his reaction they didn't know. But they would find out soon. They sent in the first pack. The group entered. The werewolves took one sniff and completely ignored him. Atem was curious. He tried to come closer, tried to sniff their hair, but the werewolves growled and snapped at him. Atem backed off into a corner and whimpered. They let in a different pack, this one also chose to ignore him. One by one the packs rejected him. Then the last and most dangerous group was allowed inside. Atem stood in a corner, not really paying attention to who was let in or not. There were three werewolves in this pack. A spiky haired blonde named Marik, A brown haired teen named Kaiba, and a snowy white haired boy named Bakura. The werewolves sniffed the air. They circled him, inspecting him in every way. They seemed to get along pretty well, but Atem was shy around them, afraid they would snap at him like the others. The werewolves started to ignore him. They sighed, it looked like it would be another loner. But then something unexpected happened. In a fit of boldness Atem went over and bit Kaiba's ear. Kaiba yelped and immediately growled at the young werewolf. Atem just smiled happily and if he had been able to shift would've been wagging a tail. Kaiba snorted and ignored him. The other two however took this as a sign. Hey re-approached the cub with new interest. While Bakura was sniffing his hair Atem bit his ear playfully. Bakura yelped and Marik chuckled. They let the boy sit down beside them. Even though Kaiba disagreed on it he tolerated the young cub's growling and nipping. The scientists were full of mixed feelings. It was good that he had found a pack, but it was with the most dangerous werewolves they had. They decided to just let the cub be with them and see how things turned out.

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It had been a few months. Atem was getting along with the werewolves and seemed to be acting as a sort of leader. Kaiba who was the current alpha male disapproved of this and was always engaging n fights with the boy. Kaiba would end up winning through his size. But Atem had skill, and his small body made it easy for him to maneuver quickly. He put up quite a fight. This earned him respect from the others. It was clear to them that Atem was likely to become a dominant male or even an alpha. They ran tests on him every day along with inserting more vampire blood. Atem saw the tests as games and toys and tried to finish them in as little time as possible. The scientists were astounded. At the age of two he had an IQ over 150! Werewolves were smart compared to beasts but it had never been known for one to be as smart as a human! Yet the boy couldn't speak. He yipped, growled and barked like all other werewolves. They led him back to the pack den. He ran inside and jumped onto Marik who yelped and tackled the cub. He giggled as Marik growled and began to play with him. The scientist sighed and left. The boy would be showing signs for his first full moon soon. And after that the vampire blood would kick in.

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"_Marik!__ Marik! I beat my time!_" Malik looked up from his dinner only to have the boy tackle him. Marik growled and began nipping at his ears. Atem laughed and bit back with his young teeth. Marik looked at the scientist. They hadn't discovered their language yet. That was good. Like Atem, Marik, Bakura, and Kaiba also had high intelligence for werewolves. They kept this fact hidden because they were afraid that the scientists would start to test them the same way they did to Atem, hence their secret language. It was fashioned after regular barks and growls to throw them off the scent. But they could all speak it fluently. Atem stopped wrestling with Marik and looked at what was there. "_Is that goat?_" He said hopefully. Marik growled.

"_You're not getting any of mine. Your dinner is over there._" He pointed to a plate that had a lumpy red looking thing on it. Marik expected it was liver. Atem yipped happily and began to eat. A small bag of blood was beside it. Atem used his unique long canines to puncture the bag and suck out the blood like he was still nursing. This always struck Marik as funny. He had never known any creature to do this. But there had to be more than what was in their den. Maybe Atem was a different breed of werewolf, but there wasn't anyone like him, at least….not any that he knew. "_So you beat your time?_"

"_Yep!__ I don't know why they keep on making such a big fuss over it. Those games aren't that special._" He tossed the bag away. "_I wish I had some sort of game to play. Like that card game their always having me __do__ only different. __Unique._" He sighed again, toying with a piece of liver, staining his hands red with the blood. He absently raised a hand and licked it off. He also didn't understand the strange attraction to blood. I mean sure Bakura liked blood, but he didn't drink it. He shook his head. No reason to think about it. Atem wasn't hurting them. And it made his head hurt. He didn't like that. Marik yipped softly to show his sympathy. /I wonder how long it will take them before they realize that we use our own language?\ He mused. Marik yawned and laid down. Atem had finished his supper and would be wanting a nap. Even if the boy was genius like all those scientists said he was still only two years old. Sure enough Atem yawned and curled up against his chest. This time however his hands looked a little furry. /He must be getting ready for his first full moon.\ He thought. Marik groaned in sympathy for the boy. Your first few moons were not a pleasant experience. It was more painful than a growth spurt and less painful than puberty. Still was hell though. He counted the days in his head. Six more days till the full moon. They'd better get ready.

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Atem howled at the moon. His body felt like it was on fire. The skin tightening, muscles tearing, bones breaking!! He curled into a ball, hoping the pain would go away. His body hurt, but slowly it faded. He got up unsteadily. For some reason the world looked different. The ground was closer to him then it had been before. He looked down and yelped. His reflection stared back at him. Only it wasn't his, it couldn't be. He wasn't in the shape he remembered. He looked like those things he saw in the pictures of the books he read. Animals, yes that was it. He looked like one of the animals. His tanned skin was covered in soft black fur that faded to a mahogany red. Deep golden streaks adorned his paws, tail, and the center of his forehead. Three others like him came into the place where he had been led to. One had blonde fur that was coarse but had a sort of sleekness to it. The fur was raised and slightly spiked, as if it was constantly raising its hackles at you. The second one had fine deep brown fur. And the third had rough, coarse and matted white fur. He sniffed the air. /That's strange. They smell like my friends….and Bakura does have a bad habit of not grooming himself.\ The blonde one came up and sniffed him. He snorted and then spoke.

"_I should have known. Why else would they bring us to the moon training dens?_" It was Marik. Atem was confused.

"_Moon training dens?_"

"_It's where they put young werewolves until they learn how to control their shape. I never really like the moon training dens. But then I had a rough time in dealing with it since I was originally a loner._" Atem was very confused now.

"_Werewolves?__ Controlling my shape? __Loner?__ What are all those things?_" Marik sighed.

"_We are werewolves. Basically it means that we have the ability to change our shape from that of a human into a wolf. And while we can control it we have to stay in our wolf form on the full moon. I don't know why though. Anyway, a loner is what the scientists call werewolves who are rejected by all of the established packs. I used to be a loner. But every once and a while they take all the loners and put them in a group. If you react well to each other you're a new group. I believe there are over fifty now._" Atem stared at Marik with his purple wolf eyes.

"_Werewolf….I like it.__ It seems to fit what I am. __A half wolf._" He stared at the moon for a while. "_Hey Marik?_"

"_Yes Atem._"

"_Will I change back when the sun rises, or will I be like this until the moons no longer full which is in three days?_"

"_You can change back in the morning if you want. But you'll just go through the same process tomorrow tonight. I'd stay in this form if I were you._" Atem shivered and curled next to Marik.

"_I think I'll change back. The entire reason I'm here is to learn to control my shape. I don't see much point if I maneuver around it and don't try._" Marik nodded and curled up around him. The silvery moon watched them. Marik wondered why they had to stay in this form on the full moon. But he guessed that was just a mystery.

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That morning the vampire blood began to take over. Atem had never been one for early starts, but now he simply despised them. While the sun didn't hurt him physically he was rather weak. Marik was worried. So was Bakura, even Kaiba, though he wasn't going to admit it. Marik stayed by his side the whole day. The scientists came around noon and gave him a shot of blood. This seemed to help him. He was able to withstand the sunshine and actually enjoy the day. That night Atem sprouted a pair of leathery vampire wings. At last they knew what the scientists had done. They had injected Atem with vampire blood to make him stronger. The blood was now fighting for which traits would be the most dominant. This was why Atem liked blood, his vampire half needed it. Marik felt sorry for him. Vampires and werewolves had never really gotten along. So their blood could really harm him in their battle for dominance. It might even kill him. But somehow Marik knew that wouldn't happen. At the end of his third full moon the blood had ended in a stalemate. Atem was still a werewolf, but now his fangs were both longer and sharper. He needed blood, but could go without it for months on end. He could go outside in sunlight, but it pained his eyes and he was never as strong. He still had to change every full moon, but could change back during the night if he had to. At long last Atem was finally ready to leave the moon training dens. They were going to start introducing him to the others next. Marik was eager to go back to the grounds. But Atem was nervous. He had never met any other werewolves except for those in his pack. Bakura would play tricks on him and get him riled up. Marik always had to stop Atem from trying to kill him. But the days were peaceful and the nights were serene. There was nothing to worry about. Or so he thought.


	2. Wolfknapped and Adopted

Chapter 2: Wolfknapped and Adopted

"Do you know the ones you want to get?" A man whispered. They were employees for the scientists and were coming to get new attractions. One of them was typing a code to get into the genetics part of the lab.

"Yes. There are three werewolves and a hybrid that would make a fine addition to our master's show." He said as the lock clicked and the door yielded for them.

"A hybrid huh? Those don't last long."

"This one is different. I think he can turn out quite well." The man shrugged.

"It's your neck." They walked through the corridors. Den numbers were posted on each door. At the end of the hall they came to the right one. The man activated his watch.

/Now listen.\ He said telepathically.(1) /These werewolves won't come without a fight. Get your tranquilizers ready and shoot them in the neck the moment we get in.\

/Right.\ He punched in the code and the door opened. The three werewolves and the hybrid were asleep. Yet as they watched they began to wake up. They held out their arms and small darts shot out of their watches. Each hit them in the neck and they swiftly fell asleep again. The men took out mechanical cuffs and attached them to their hands and feet. Then they slung the werewolves over their shoulders and walked out. They put them in the back of a truck and drove off into the night.

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CODE RED. CODE RED. SECURITY BREACH IN DEN 295. The scientists looked up from what they were eating and rushed to the console. Sure enough den 295 was empty. There was no sign of a struggle which meant that they whoever it was had come in the night and taken them while they were asleep. A tranquilizer dart was found. They had no clue as to who took them or why. But they needed to get them back.

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"Are you sure you want to take him?" The scientist asked. An old man was standing with a young werewolf in his arms. "Werewolves can be mischeivious and hard to handle."

"He'll be fine with me. What's his name?" The scientist looked down sheepishly.

"Werewolves aren't named until they're three and have comprehension of our language. However this one is unusually bright. Not as smart as his brother, but intelligent." The young werewolf tugged at Soloman Muto's grey hair.

"I think I'll call him Yugi." At the name the boy let out a squeal of delight. He began laughing and became very hard to hold. "Well at least he seems to like it." The scientist felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Just be careful. He's getting ready for his first full moon. Werewolves like that can be hard to mange since the transformation is painful at first." He nodded.

"I've set up a room just for that purpose."

"Very well." The scientist filled out some papers. "Let me have the boy for a moment." Soloman handed Yugi over and the scientist clipped a small tracer to his ear. "We use that to keep an eye on them. It'll also tell you where he is if he happens to sneak off." Soloman Muto took him back and smiled.

"He'll be safe with me."

Fourteen years later

"Yugi! Time to get up!" The young teen moaned and rolled out of bed. "Yugi!"

"I'm coming grandpa!" He shouted back. He put on his clothes and stumbled downstairs.

"About time! I thought you had gone back to sleep!"

"Not while you're here." He grumbled. Soloman chuckled and set a plate of rare sausages in front of him. Yugi let out a small yip and gulped them down. The phone rang. Yugi glanced at it and growled. He had never known why he disliked the phone so much but the ringing had always irked him. Soloman picked up the phone.

"Muto household, how can I help you?"

"_We need to speak to you and Yugi. __Immediately._" He frowned.

"What is it?"

"_We can't talk on the phone. I'll explain everything when you get to the lab._" He felt suspicious but pushed his worries aside.

"All right. Yugi and I will be there in a minute." He hung up. Yugi was looking at him curiously.

"Who called?" He asked.

"Some friends of mine. Come on we have to go somewhere." He walked out the door. Curious, Yugi pulled on his jacket and followed.

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Yugi stared at the facility around him. It seemed oddly familiar. He could remember seeing certain places. His earring was beeping. It had always beeped so he wasn't concerned, but with everything else he wondered if this wasn't as normal as he thought. Grandpa led them to an office. Inside a man in a white coat was talking to someone on the phone. When he saw them he hung up and faced them.

"Mr. Muto. I'm glad you could make it."

"You said this was important."

"It is." He looked at Yugi for a moment before turning back to his grandfather. "He looks healthy. You've done a good job."

"Thank you."

"How has education been going?"

"Why don't you ask him?" The scientist appeared flustered but turned to Yugi.

"Can you understand me?" He asked slowly. Yugi blinked. Why was he asking that question? It was like he was nothing more than an animal. The scientist sighed. He turned to face his grandfather again.

"Yes." The man stiffened and slowly turned in his chair.

"What did you say?" He asked softly, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Yes I understand you. Why do you ask?" The man was shocked.

"But….But….This is impossible! Werewolves can't talk!" Soloman chuckled.

"You did say he was brighter than most."

"Well yes…. But even his brother couldn't talk! And he had an IQ of 156 at the age of two!" Yugi was confused. Brother? He didn't have a brother. Did he?

"What are you talking about? I never had a brother." The scientist looked at him and sighed.

"You must forgive me Yugi. I'm not used to having this happen." He pulled out a file. "You see. You aren't actually human. You're a werewolf. A person that can shift at will into the form of an animal. It's only mandatory on the full moon." Yugi nodded. His grandfather had explained that when he had first transformed. "You weren't actually born into your grandfather's family. You were born here at the lab. You stayed here with your twin brother until you were 18 months old. Then you and he were separated and sent to different parts of our facility. You went to the observatory section. Your brother went to genetics." Yugi could barely process what he was hearing. "He was part of a program that was combining werewolves and vampires to see if we could extend your age. You see werewolves and vampires usually breed with humans. This wasn't a problem at first, but over time their blood has become more and more diluted. They were losing their senses and enhanced abilities. In short your race is in danger of becoming extinct." The scientist took off his glasses and wiped them. "We were hoping that by combining werewolves with vampires we would be able to re-strengthen your blood line. However it all went wrong. Fourteen years ago your brother was stolen from the facility along with the werewolves he had associated himself with. No one knows where they are or who took them. We've been searching with every means possible but can't find them. We were hoping that you might be able to." Yugi understood now. They couldn't find him so they wanted him to try. Thinking that after fourteen years he'd recognize his brother.

"No. I won't go and find someone just because you've given up." The scientist looked up in shock. Surely he must understand how important this is!

"Please! We need him!"

"I won't go find him for your sakes!"

"Then find him for your own. He's your brother. Wouldn't you like to know him? Wouldn't you like to see him?"

'Not as some experiment for you.' He thought and turned away. His grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder. Yugi understood and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. I'll go find him. But I don't like this. The scientist nodded, relieved he had accepted.

"Very well. We understand." Yugi nodded.

"What does he look like?"

"This is the most recent picture we have of him." He showed a picture of a young boy with red –purple eyes, spiky tri colored hair and tanned skin. "However we were able to use a program to create a picture of what he would look like now." His hair was longer and spiked in a most unusual way. Golden bangs like lightning streaked through his hair. His eyes were almond shaped and gave him a foreign, mysterious look. "We don't have any article of clothing but this should give you a leg up." Yugi took the picture and tucked it into the pocket of his school uniform. "And take this." He handed Yugi a notebook. "I want you to write about everything that happens." Yugi nodded and put this beside the picture.

"Thanks for your help. I'll try to find him." Yugi left. The scientist collapsed on his desk.

"If I had known they could be this intelligent…" Soloman chuckled.

"Nobody can know everything. Yugi may not have learned as fast as a normal child but if he has a goal he devotes himself to it. I have no doubt he'll find him."

End Chapter

(1) The watches are like a intercom system for thoughts. The wearers can send thoughts to one another like you and I can with a 2 way radio. Nifty huh?


	3. Mistreatment

Chapter 3: Mistreatment

"Oi! You!" Atem raised his head and snarled. "Breakfast!" The man threw a dead something at him and clanged the door shut. Atem picked the corpse up and sniffed. It was a rat, stone cold. Oh well. He pierced the rat's body with his fangs and sucked it dry, then swallowed the shriveled body. He was still hungry but knew better than to ask for more. His chains clinked as he settled back down on the floor. He winced as the sores on his neck were rubbed by the cold, hard iron band that restrained him in his cell. His arms and legs were linked to the wall as well by rusty manacles that were so heavy even he had trouble moving. The door clanged again. A man came into his cell with long lengths of rope. Atem raised his wings in a defensive gesture and growled. The man motioned and several men grabbed him. He was immobilized while they removed his bonds and tied him up. Atem snarled and growled, fighting with all his might to get away. Under normal circumstances he would have thrown them off no problem. Unfortunately they all had amulets of power that made his strength insignificant. Once he was trussed so tightly that he could even move they roughly picked him up and put him in a box. They wheeled it out into the ring where their boss was performing.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Inside this box is an ancient demon! I will summon him before your very eyes!" The audience clapped. The man smirked. He began reciting gibberish and making strange motions with his hands. The operator activated a device that cut Atem loose. He pounded against the box, desperate to get out. He was running out of air! "As you can see the demon is responding! And now! Release!" The box came apart and a cattle prod was shoved deep into his side. Atem's wings flared and he screamed from the pain. The audience gasped. A demon. A live demon was here in front of them. Atem sniffed the air. Humans. He growled and glared at them with hate. They ruined his life! They tortured him and put him on display as nothing more than an animal! He hoped they'd all burn. The man cracked a whip. Atem cringed as it flashed in between his eyes. "See? He obeys me!" He blew a whistle and cracked the whip. Atem growled and jumped into the air. There were hoops hanging in the center of the ring. The man blew his whistle and cracked his whip. Atem flew threw them. He perched on the tightrope wire. The man blew his whistle sharply. Atem narrowed his eyes but flew down beside him. The assistants came out and pulled him back to the box. Atem wanted to struggle but knew that there would only be more pain. They crammed him in. "Now! I will send him back to his own world! Watch! Desha Leka ne!" There was a flash of light and a cloud of smoke. The assistants switched boxes and carted Atem out. They threw him back into his cell and gave him two rats as a reward for his good behavior. Atem ignored them. He hated humans! One day he would have his revenge!

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June 23

This is my first day on my search for Atem. No sign of him so far. I didn't really expect something anyway. I keep on looking at the picture and can't seem to feel that he looks different. But I can't point out exactly what it is. I've gotten a pencil and am trying to correct it. So far all I have is his skin being darker. Wait….he has scars, a lot of them. They're scattered all over his face. The biggest one is over his eye. It goes straight down. His right ear is torn. Like something ripped it apart. And he doesn't smile. He looks sinister. I'm surprised I know all of this. I wonder what it means.

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Yugi put away the journal and sighed. When he had told his friends he was searching for his long lost brother they had thought he was crazy. But a quick look at the adoption papers and a long discussion with his grandfather along with showing them his wolf form had convinced them otherwise. They were coming along with him to help. Yugi was grateful. He had been a bit scared of going after his brother by himself. Tea was sketching a new picture of him to see if it would be more accurate. Every once and a while she'd come over to where Yugi was and show him. Yugi would point out where she had gotten it right and where it needed some fine tuning. It was almost done. He was still pondering how he could know what his brother looked like. He wasn't quite sure. But he though it had something to do with his vampire blood, though he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"Yugi." She got up. "Is this it?" Yugi looked at it.

"Yeah. That's him." Tea had done two pictures. One of his face and one of his body. He stood straight and tall. He was covered in scars and pieces of tattered cloth served as pants. He was extremely thin. His ribs stuck out like bolts of lightning. His face was heavily scarred. It carried a sadistic sneer, but was so pinched and thin it looked like there was just skin covering his skull. The picture sent chills up his spine. Yugi held the picture close. "I hope I find you." He whispered to it. "I'll save you from wherever you are brother."

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Atem was sound asleep. He was whimpering and crying. Occaisionaly he would shout out. His dreams were people reaching for him. Shrill whistles hurt his ears and whips cracked against his skin. He curled up trying to block the images. They trussed him up so that he couldn't uncurl. They put him in a box and lowered it into water. He tried to get out but the ropes were too strong. The water was rising filling the box. Slowly it went over his head. He tried to get out but couldn't move. He was running out of air. He couldn't…breathe! ……Maybe this was for the best. Then he could finally be free. He opened his mouth and let the water rush in……He shot up. He was still in his cell, he was still in hell. But he wasn't dead. He laid back in the filthy straw that served as his bed and closed his eyes. It was only a sleep scare. Only a sleep scare. He cried, drawing his wings tightly around himself. He wanted Marik. He wanted Bakura. Hell! He wanted Kaiba! And…..he wasn't sure what else. But there was someone else. A beautiful smile and a playful laugh. That's all he remembered. But it still made his heart ache in want. He sobbed quietly as his pain ran out of his body in the form of salty water. Slowly he calmed down and drifted back into sleep.

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July 14

Still no sign of Atem. Many people talk about seeing a truck that shows a picture of a man similar to the picture we have, but every time they never tell us where it is. They just point in the general direction. We seem to be getting closer though.

July 20

We found it! We found the place everyone's talking about! The picture certainly looks like him. The only difference is that the man has wings. But since he's a hybrid I wouldn't be surprised if he does have them. We're going to go see the next show which is tomorrow.

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Atem growled as the graceful animal circled him. Atem watched it carefully. He knew that it had power, grace, and skill. It had obviously fought humans before. That's why it was here. It was fighting him for its life, its survival. Under normal circumstances he would have taken pity on it and refused to fight. But he too had a reason to survive.

Pain.

To not to fight meant not to live to see another day. But it also meant pain. If he refused he would be subjected to immeasurable pain. He didn't want pain. So he would fight.

The creature leapt at him, muscles quivering as it prepared to collide and sink its teeth into his neck. With that in mind Atem rolled away and dug his claws into its side. The beast yowled and pulled away, dragging his claws through its beautiful black coat. The animal hissed at him. Atem decided that now would be a good time to fly. He guessed right because the beast leaped toward him. High. He flapped above the animals head and watched as it circled underneath him. Atem dove down. The animal jumped up to meet him. At the last moment he spun in the air and kicked it in the stomach. The monster almost squealed as it suddenly changed directions. It landed on the gouges he had made in its stomach and whimpered. It cried.

Atem lowered his fighting stance and looked at the creature. It had cried. This graceful beast that had seemed untamable had cried. Pity formed in his gut and tried to force its way out as chokes and sobs. He bit his tongue to hold them back. He saw that the wounds were too much to overcome. Even if he lost it would die. This formed a new feeling, one which he had never felt before within him. He didn't know what it was, only that it seemed to give him strength. Snarling the beast got back up, swaying precariously from blood loss and pain.

Pain….his age old tormenter. He wouldn't allow anyone to fall into his lap again.

The beast leaped at him in a desperate attempt to bring him down as well. But its movements were slow and in vain. Atem sidestepped and pinned it to the ground. The animal looked him in the eye and pleaded. It pleaded for it to end, the pain, the suffering, the struggle for nothing except the anguish filled life. It almost caused tears to come to his eyes.

"Don't worry." He whispered. "You won't suffer any longer." With that he sank his claws into its heart and his teeth into its neck. The animal let out what could only be described as a gasp. Then the air rushed out and it died. Atem silently raised his wings and screamed his torture to the sky. To the crowd it sounded like a cry of victory. But to him it was a release of his pain into the world, even if no one understood it.

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July 21

How could they do this?! I watched that so called "Magic show"! All they did was torture animals into submission! I saw him. I had hoped that his hate was just an act. It isn't. He hates them. This torture has turned him into a feral animal. I hope that getting him out of here will help him trust me. But I doubt that he will. We're going to break him out tonight. May whatever watches above protect us.

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Yugi and his friends snuck through the camp. There was little security and only a few of the sentries were awake. They reached the place where the animals were kept. A guard passed by and they hid. Slowly they worked their way down the hall. When they heard voices they stopped.

"It's time for the old boy's shots!"

"As if he needs them! Hybrids don't get sick!" Yugi gasped.

"The boss says we give them anyway. Now get that muzzle ready! You know what he tries to do." There was a brief pause and them the clang of a door. Snarls and shouting ensued. Yugi chanced to look. His brother was fighting the guards. They were immobilizing him with thick leather straps as well as holding his heavy chains and they placed a muzzle over his face. They took syringes and pulled out some of his blood. Then they plunged others into his arm. When they were done they released him. He crashed into the wall. He snarled and lunged at one of them. "Ow! He bit me! You little!" The man struck him with a mighty blow. He flew into the wall again, his wings splayed out to keep them from breaking. "Lousy hybrid!" He spat at him and left. When they were gone Yugi raced to the cell. His brother jerked up and snarled. His wings flared around him, trying to make him appear bigger and more intimidating than what he was.

"Shh! It's okay. We're here to help you." Yugi whispered. He merely continued growling. "It's okay. Here," He broke the lock on the door and held it open. "You're free. Come on. Come on it's all right." He stopped growling and looked at Yugi uncertainly. His wings relaxed slightly and went into an alert, but slightly more trusting, pose. He took a step toward the door. "That's it. It's okay. Come on. You're safe with me." He took another step. He was confused. Every human he had met had yelled and shouted with harsh voices. But this one was quiet. He spoke with a soft voice and was exceedingly gentle. "It's okay. Come on." He was out of the cell. He looked around for other humans. There were some in a small crevice behind him. He flared his wings protectively and backed into the cell. "No, no! It's okay. They won't hurt you. Come on out. They won't hurt you." The humans came out and looked at him cautiously. "Come on. They won't hurt you. I promise." He sniffed the air. These humans were different. They didn't have the scent of malice or fascination, they smelled of an emotion he had never sniffed before. He took a step into the hall. "Okay. We need to get out of here. Come on." Yugi slowly walked toward the outside. He hesitated but followed. When they got to the end of the hall he took one look and ran for it. "Wait!! Come back!" Yugi's brother didn't stay around. "We've got to follow him!" They raced after him. He was running through the camp, looking for a way out. Sirens screamed.

"The hybrid has escaped! The hybrid has escaped!" People surrounded him on all sides. Atem looked at them nervously. The men pulled out whips and rope. He took a tiny step back. Without warning the whips cracked against his skin, the rope was thrown at him. Atem tried desperately to escape but it surrounded him on every side. Loop after loop of rope wound around him. It got harder and harder to move.

"No!" Yugi plunged through the crowd. He tore at the guards and other people until he was to his brother. "Are you okay?" He stared at him in confusion. Why was his human helping him? "Here! Let me get you out of these! Ahhh!"

"Well, well, well! We seem to have caught ourselves a little werewolf! Now what should we do with you?" Atem looked up from the ground. Werewolf? He sniffed. He didn't smell werewolf. Yugi growled and bit his hand. The man let out a cry of pain and dropped him. The others surrounded him and began to fight. Yugi fought with everything he had, but there were too many. He was tied up and thrown next to his brother. "This hybrid was too much trouble anyway! Kill him! Kill them both." He was roughly picked up and carried to his cell. Yugi was thrown beside him. He looked at him curiously.

"_Why did you try and save me?_" He said in were-speech. His voice felt strange after doing nothing with it but growl and scream for over fourteen years, but he still remembered how to talk. Yugi looked at him hopefully.

"I don't know what to do. But I'm sure we'll get out. My friends will get us out of here." Atem snorted.

"_Those humans weren't much of a help. They didn't even help you with your fight._"

"They're probably going to go and find a way to get us out of here right now."

"_I wonder what __will they__ do now._"

"I wish I knew what they would do."

"_Why can't you understand me?_" Atem was truly confused. If he was a werewolf then shouldn't he be able to understand him?

"I wonder why you can't understand me." Atem sighed. Their conversation was working on two different planes. Yet they seemed to be following the same track of thought. He wondered why. The guards came back and picked them up. Atem snarled and tried to break free, but their grip was too strong. They were placed on a table and strapped in. a man with a silver knife approached.

"Let's do the hybrid first. I never liked you." He raised the knife over his heart. There was a crash and the lights went out. Everyone shouted in confusion and ran about. Someone came up and undid their bonds. The two got up and raced out.

"I knew you guys would come!" Yugi panted as they ran.

"Of course! We weren't going to let you die! Is he here?" Atem looked at them in confusion. More humans were helping him. This couldn't be real. And even if it was they were going to take him to more torture. He wouldn't trust them. Humans couldn't be trusted. But they had saved him. He might as well go with them until he figured out what they wanted.

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July 22

My brother is highly distrustful. He won't let anyone get close to him. He seems to think that we'll attack him as soon as we're close enough. I hope he can trust us eventually. It's so sad. He was so fierce in that place, but all he is, is scared. Scared like a frightened child. I feel so helpless knowing that there's nothing I can do about it.


	4. Speech

Yugi cautiously approached his brother. He was humming a strange tune that sounded like a death march. His wings were tucked neatly behind him. He was still wearing his escape clothes as he didn't trust anyone to help him get dressed and knew nothing about it himself. The tattered pants tried to cling to his calves when he sat or moved. But he was just too thin. All that happened was that the fabric kind of swirled around him. It did make him look intimidating……somewhat.

"Hey." He leaped back and growled. "I thought you might be hungry." He held out a bowl of sausages and several other vegetables and a thick sauce. He sniffed the air. "Go on. Take it." His brother growled. "It's okay." Yugi set the bowl on the ground not far from him. "It'll be there if you want it." Yugi backed off and went to the others. He sniffed again. Slowly he went up to the bowl. He dipped a finger into it, raised it to his mouth and tasted it. His eyes seemed to light up with the taste. He grabbed the bowl and went off into a corner of the camp where he greedily began eating. Yugi watched him the entire time. When the bowl was done he gingerly set it back where Yugi had set it down in the exact position it had been in. Yugi went over and picked it up. "Do you want more?" His brother growled, but looked at him eagerly, desperate hope blazing in his eyes. "I'll go get some." Yugi filled the bowl again and brought it to him. Again he wouldn't take the bowl until Yugi had left. But once he did he ate in the corner and put the bowl back. And again he put it in the same spot and position. Yugi took the bowl and filled it. He placed it by his brother. "How could anyone do this to another person?" He whispered. With a sigh Yugi left. His brother ate the bowl and placed it back .But this time he didn't take care to put it in the same place. "Do want more?" He looked at the bowl, but didn't seem to be that interested. "Are you done?" His brother snarled, but it was gentler this time. "If you want more there's still some left." Atem backed off into a corner and laid down. "All right, shout if you need anything." Yugi got up and left.

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July 24

He's making good progress. He still won't let anyone touch him. But he doesn't growl as much, and he sticks around when you approach him. He recognizes me more than anybody though he seems to be attaching himself to Tea. I think he's beginning to smell my foreign DNA. He realizes I'm not human. If he goes on like this I may be able to touch him soon.

July 25

He let me touch him! He let me touch him! I don't believe it! He let me touch his arm! I don't know what'll happen next.

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Atem waited patiently for his dinner. He knew that Yugi would come by soon and give it to him. He had realized by now that Yugi wasn't going to harm him when food was brought or served. Yugi got up and brought a bowl of chicken. He held out the bowl. Atem looked at him for a moment and quickly took it from his hands. Yugi's eyes widened. Atem bolted down the chicken and handed back the bowl. Yugi took it dumbfounded. Atem gave a small smile. He followed Yugi to the edge of the campfire. He sat right behind Yugi and watched him avidly. It was like watching a puppy follow his master. He was humming that tune frequently. Several times Yugi would ask him what it meant. But he never told them.

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July 26

I've decided to teach Atem to talk. I figure if I can do it he can too. I've started reciting the alphabet to him. He has no idea what I'm doing but hums along anyway. Already he's imitating my voice and saying their names. He thinks this is all a game. Everyone's getting pretty annoyed because he won't stop singing. I'll have to go up and tell him to be quiet. He doesn't understand English yet but we've worked out a series of hand signs that can convey messages.

July 27

Atem is coming along well. He can now say random words. His favorite one is food. He does nothing but eat! I let him though. And as a reward Atem seems to be getting fuller. His ribs aren't sticking out anymore though when I run my hand down his side I can feel them. He doesn't let anyone but me touch him. He has developed a strong connection to Tea though. She'll be the first one to touch him besides me.

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"U….g. U….g." It was five days after Yugi had started teaching Atem to talk.

"What is he saying?" Tea asked.

"U…g" Atem said.

"U…g….U…g….U. g." Tea's eyes widened. "Yugi!"

"What?" Yugi had fallen asleep.

"Your name! He's saying your name!"

"Who is?" He asked groggily. He woke shortly afterwards. "Really?!"

"Yeah!" Yugi sat down beside him.

"Are you saying my name?" Atem nodded.

"U. g."

"No. It's Yugi." Atem frowned.

"Yugi?"

"Yes. Yugi."

"Yugi….." He pointed to Yugi. "Yugi." He pointed to himself. "Atem."

"Atem?"

"Yugi…..Atem."

"Atem. Is that your name?" Atem nodded viciously. "Atem…That's a great name!" Atem smiled. He turned to Tea.

"Yugi?"

"No. I'm Tea." Atem looked confused.

"Tea?"

"Yes."

"Tea…." He looked at Joey. "Tea?" The others couldn't help but laugh. It was funny how Atem was just going around saying different names.

"No. Joey."

"Joey….." He looked at Tristan?

"Joey?"

"No. My names Tristan."

"My names Tristan?" Everybody laughed.

"No. Just Tristan."

"Tristan….Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan…..Yugi." His eyelids drooped. "Yugi…." He fell asleep with his head in Yugi's lap. He smiled sadly.

"It's so sad. He was so vicious when we first met him. But now he's almost gentle. He was like a feral animal. He had to re-learn trust. I feel so sorry for him. And he'll just be going to a place where he's observed for the rest of his life." Yugi looked down at this statement. He had told them about re-strengthening the lines of werewolves and vampires. But Yugi felt differently now. He decided that he wouldn't turn Atem in. Even if he had to go to the ends of the earth he was going to keep his brother safe.

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August 5

Atem can offically speak. It's a great relief not to have to communicate using sign language. Atem has an odd way of wording his sentences, but it's nothing drastic. He's taken a liking to rare meat, sometimes raw. I like it too for that matter…It must be the wolf in us. Speaking of which the full moon is coming up. I'm excited. I've transformed before, but never with somebody with me. I wonder what it'll be like.

August 6

Atem has been teaching me were-speech. Apparently it was a language he and his pack spoke. It's fairly easy to understand if you put your mind to it. The gang has begun learning as well. Surprisingly Joey is progressing faster than anyone. Tristan isn't letting him go about it. Joey seems very touchy on the subject for some reason. I wonder what the cause is.


	5. Capture

Yugi walked into a clearing. It was peaceful with a pond that would reflect the moon, perfect. Atem stood nervously beside him. Atem had always been put through a series of tests while transforming, which made the process extremely painful, so he was rather wary of it. Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be all right." Atem only whined in response. As the sun set Tea and the others drifted into the clearing. They had been asleep all day so that they could see the transformation. Joey seemed anxious, though Yugi didn't know why. The sky was relatively clear with only one r two really big clouds, slight chance of a break. The moon rose into view. They stiffened. Yugi began to shudder. Their muscles started to re-form, both of their shirts ripped revealing that their back was sprouting coal black fur. Yugi heard Atem cry out as his first bone broke. Yugi held back a whimper as his spine snapped, rendering him immobile for a short period of time as the bones and nerves reconnected. His nails thickened and sharpened into razor like claws. About halfway through a stray cloud drifted over the moon. Yugi gasped. It wasn't that much different from transforming by himself. But he felt more in control then when he did it alone.

"Wow." Tea said. That had been his reaction when he had first seen himself. Their ears were pointed and stuck out of their spiked hair, their fingers were longer and they had sharp claws. Their feet were about halfway through so they stood on the balls of them. But what really took the cake was the long furry black tail that stuck out of the seat of their pants. Yugi walked over to Atem who was still waiting for something to happen.

"Atem, are you all right?" His voice was hoarse like he hadn't used it in years.

"I'm fine." Atem's voice was low but surprisingly smooth. Before they could get any further the moon reappeared. Yugi shook as the rest of his body transformed. He couldn't hold back a howl when his both of his arms broke to reform. Finally the transformation was over.Tea and the others gasped. Yugi and Atem were identical down to the last mahogany tip of fur on their tail. The only difference was Atem's scar that still showed, streaking down his eye.

"Yugi?" He looked up and wagged his tail. "Atem?" Atem watched her carefully and slowly wagged his tail as well. She went over and stroked Yugi's fur. "You're a lot softer than I thought you would be." Atem walked over beside her. "Hey Atem. Are you going to let me pet you?" She held out her hand. Atem sniffed her hand and, much to Tea's astonishment, shoved his muzzle into it. Tea sat there for a moment in surprise, then smiled and rubbed his belly. Atem closed his eyes and stuck his paws in the air, enjoying the attention. His ears twitched. He sat up, and listened. After a moment Atem raced into the forest. Yugi looked at them for a moment then followed. "Where are they going?"

"I don't know, but we better follow them." Joey said concerned.

"Right." They ran into the forest, searching for where the two could've gone.

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Yugi and Atem ran after a deer. Its fleet footsteps were like thunder in their ears. The glint of brown fur was like a rainbow. The smell of fear and sweat heightened Yugi's senses, sending him wild in the heat of the chase. A mad light appeared in his eyes and he raced ahead. Bit by bit they gained on the deer. Yugi and Atem split and closed in on the deer from both sides, controlling where it moved, making sure to send it into difficult spots that would tire it. As the deer slowed and Atem leaped onto it at full speed. The weight and momentum carried them both into the undergrowth. Yugi pounced and grabbed hold of the deer's neck. The taste of blood sending him into a frenzy. He shook his head violently, trying to break its neck. Atem got up from his fall and nipped at the flailing hooves, injuring its legs to keep it in place. The deer struggled, eyes rolling in panic, but slowly it became still. Yugi let go. Atem barked appreciatively. Yugi bowed his head and allowed Atem the first bite. While the two enjoyed their meal neither noticed the people surrounding them until too late. Nets and collars came out of nowhere. Clipping themselves to the two werewolves necks they struggled to get free. Eventually though the weight of the nets and ropes forced them to be still.

"_Yugi!_" Atem called. He couldn't see through all the nets that covered him. "_Yugi are you all right?!_"

"_I-I think so._" Came his shaky voice from the depths of the net. Leaves crackled and a pair of boots entered Atem's view.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" Atem froze. "You two are fine looking young werewolves…..make a nice addition to the bosses collection!" There was a general spread of laughter. Men came up and forced their mouths open, inspecting their ears and other things.

"This lot has some good teeth, rather sleek coat too." Yugi snapped at them. "And a fiery attitude!" He smacked Yugi causing him to yelp in pain.

"_Yugi!_" Atem snarled at them.

"Aw! Upset that your friend got hurt? Bah!" He spat on him. "Get these two into the trailer! And cover up this time!" A man came up with a club. Atem saw it coming towards him before he lost consciousness.

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"Where are they?" Tea, Joey, and Tristan had been searching for Yugi and Atem since they had first entered the woods. Several hours ago they thought they had heard a yelp, but upon further investigation they found nothing. "I don't see where they could've gone. We've been searched the entire forest!"

"Maybe somebody took them." Joey said.

"But we would've seen signs of a struggle! I doubt that Yugi and Atem would go anywhere quietly!"

"Maybe. But remember that yelp we heard? Maybe that was them. They could've been knocked out and then the people would cover their footsteps so that people like us couldn't find them."

"It does make sense….But who would take them? We're too far away for that magic show to find us."

"It doesn't have to be anyone in particular. There are people that sell werewolves as a profession. They probably ran into a traders trap." Joey looked around. "Come on. There's a major city ahead that deals heavily in werewolves. That would be the best place to start."They began walking.

"What do they do?" Tea asked.

"Huh?"

"What do they do with werewolves?" Joey looked away for a moment, as if trying to come with a way to explain, or get himself out of telling.

"Well….that depends. Female werewolves are usually sold as pets since they're weaker and have sleeker coats. The aggressive males are sold for cage fighting. Though that branch has become very delicate since cage fighting is illegal now. Werewolves of all types are used as guards, and some of the larger males are sold for sledding." Tea stared at him, appalled.

"They're treating them like nothing more than animals!"

"Well that's what most people think they are. Yugi and Atem are unusual. They can talk and understand us, but most…most might as well be wolves with the ability to shape shift. They don't possess the kind of intelligence that we do." Joey shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You know a lot." Tea said softly, hoping she wasn't pressing a difficult subject. Joey glared at her. Apparently she was.

"Yeah well….My little sister is a werewolf. She was bitten when she was ten. I watched as she slowly lost the ability to talk and communicate with me. And traders kept coming to me. Asking how much I wanted for her. I always refused. Sometimes they'd leave me alone, other times they'd try to take her by force. I've always managed to outsmart them, either moving or hiding in places they would never guess. I had to left her at my mom's house for this trip. I told her not to let her out of the house and to keep an eye out for suspicious people prowling the neighborhood." He shrugged. "I've been keeping in touch with the werewolf businesses in every city we stopped in to get a general idea of what kind of traders had territory in the area. The cities that I advised for us to pass were cities with high level traders or a big market value."

"Wow." Tea said. She was impressed with what Joey could do. "Do you think you could do the same thing here?"

"Sure. There's a universal password that identifies you as a werewolf buyer, after that you just figure out what traders have territory there and you have the necessary passwords for finding the store that they trade from. We're almost there." He narrowed his eyes. "We should have given this place a wider berth. The best trader has a large portion of territory here, enough to have more than two shops. We need to be careful."

* * *

Yugi woke to the sound of barking. He twitched his ears. A gentle nudge in the side made him wince.

_"Yugi.__ Yugi wake up." _Yugi whimpered and raised his head.

_"Atem?__ What….What happened? The last thing I remember was being in that net and then…." _He whimpered as a pang from his head made his eyes water. Atem licked his head. The pain subsided in the bliss from Atem's touch.

_ "Take it easy Yugi. You were out cold for several hours."_ Yugi whimpered as the pain came back. Atem laid next to him and curled around him, giving him warmth. Yugi laid his head on Atem's belly. Atem tucked into him and made sure he was comfortable as well as warm. The warden would be along in a few hours, when he saw that they were awake it would be time to call the boss for an inspection.

* * *

Joey came out of a bar with his hands in his pockets. He was muttering something under his breath repeatedly. Tea came forward anxiously.

"Did you find anything Joey?" She asked.

"654 Rockview road." He muttered. "Yes. I got the name of a major werewolf trader. If he doesn't have Yugi and Atem he'll know where they are." He began going down the street, still muttering the street address. "654 Rockview road."

* * *

A clang alerted Atem to the approach of the inspectors. He lifted his head and growled at them. Yugi awoke at this sound and blinked owlishly at them. His head was still fuzzy and in pain from the clubbing it got. The inspectors put thick gloves on and grabbed them by the scuff of their necks. Atem kept still as he was pulled out. He was used to this type of treatment from the men who had held him before. Yugi however was new to this. He struggled and kicked until Atem told him if he stopped moving it wouldn't hurt as much. An electro collar and a muzzle were placed on them. In the very back there was a clean room with tables in it. Yugi and Atem were placed on top. The muzzle was removed and the inspectors began their examination. They checked everything from teeth to temperature. Yugi snapped at their hands several times. Atem did too. They both were displeased with their treatment and were making sure to show it. The collar shocked him. Atem screeched and lost his concentration to keep up his wolf form. Yugi yelped as the same thing happened. Now the men examined the health of their human forms. Satisfied with their inspection they shoved the two back into their cage. Yugi whimpered and began to cry. Atem nuzzled him.

"Shhh…..It's okay Yugi. Everything's going to be just fine." Yugi's naked form curled next to his own, his hands clutching his shoulders. He whimpered. "Shhh…..It's okay Yugi. It's okay. It'll be all right. Your friends will come and rescue us. They will." Friends……….it made him think back to when Yugi had first rescued him. Yugi had said something similar to him, though at the time he hadn't understood. Atem rubbed soothing circles into his back, murmuring softly, telling him it would be all right, that everything would be just fine. Eventually Yugi calmed down and fell asleep. Atem nuzzled him affectionately before slipping into his wolf form and curling around him. His fur should keep some of the cold away. He looked out the window and sighed. Joey and the others had to come soon. He didn't know how long he would be able to keep his sanity here.

End Chapter


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